Lachlan Morton has raised over $200,000 for the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund through an epic bike ride from Munich to Ukraine’s border with Poland.
The EF Education-EasyPost rider cycled for 42 hours straight in order to cover the 1064km, and has more than quadrupled his original goal of $50,000.
He arrived at the Korczowa - Krakovets border in western Poland in the early hours of Monday morning, having departed Munich on Saturday morning. He rode through the breadth of Czechia and all of southern Poland on his journey.
“Well we made it to the border here,” Morton said as he reached the end. “Thanks to everyone who supported this trip, everyone who made it out today and rode, they made it a very special day. You know this marks the end of a chosen hardship for me, but this is symbolic of a hardship that is being forced on a whole bunch of people, on the other side of this border. I’m glad that as the cycling community we could get together and help support those people.”
The crisis relief fund aims to helps Ukrainians who have had to flee the Russian invasion by providing shelter, food and clean water. GlobalGiving also offers health and psychological support, and access to education and economic assistance.
According to UN estimates, more than 1.85 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Ukraine, with more than 2.5 million people also leaving the country, mostly to surrounding states like Poland and Slovakia.
“I’m just trying to do the one thing I know how to do and engage the bike-riding community to help,” Morton explained ahead of his trip. “My idea is to highlight the fact that war is not a far-off problem. Conflicts are a bike ride away, all over the world.
“That’s the intention behind it, and to try and raise as much money as we can to help out people who have been displaced.”
Speaking before his adventure, the Australian said he was partly inspired to ride through witnessing the effect it had on Ukrainian teammate Mark Padun.
“That made it hit closer to home, having a teammate who is directly impacted by it. I found it hard to focus on trying to get ready for a race when something so significant was happening in the world.
“I kept thinking, wow, I could actually do that in one ride. So that was my idea. I’m not an overly political person. I’m not an expert in any of this. I’m just trying to do the one thing I know how to do and engage the bike-riding community to help."
People can still donate to the cause here.
